Flocking to the NEC to answer the Call of Duty to Overwatch the gaming events, thousands played, bought, tested, and watched the latest games to their Kingdom Heart’s content. It’s not all just fun and games either, with serious prize money to be won! The record-number of attendees at i65 saw 1,117 participants form 156 teams, to play over 22 tournaments across the four days, winning over £28,000 in cash.

What’s more, i65 provided the stage for some of the gaming world’s most hotly anticipated announcements: from the debut of FIFA 20, with its introduction of VOLTA Football based on the much-missed FIFA Street Series; to the UK exclusive of The Ubisoft Experience, which gave fans a show within a show. Other premieres at i65 ranged from Borderlands 3, Pokémon Sword & Shield, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.

With everything from the latest in VR technology for the tech-savvy to try to the old-school arcade games in the Retro Zone; the biggest LAN party the UK has ever seen; the sold-out return of increasingly popular live-action text adventure comedy show, The Dark Room; and the Battle Royale Zone, with players going head-to-head; the show-stopping i65 has set the bar high for its return in April.

Phil Crawford, part of Insomnia’s organising team from Player1 Events, said: “It’s been a phenomenal 2019 for Insomnia, with almost 100,000 people joining us this year to embrace all things gaming. Bringing together this online community in real life, to meet face-to-face, share their passion, and celebrate with like-minded individuals is what is so special and why we continue to work as hard as we can to make each one the best it can be. Thank you to every single person who joined us for i64 and i65 – we can’t wait to see you at the next one.”